Brands
Q3 FY 2025: Hindustan Unilever Ltd & the art of growing steadily
MUMBAI: India’s leading FMCG company Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) has reported steady financial results for the third quarter (Q3) and the nine-month period ended 31 December 2024. With a strategic focus on premiumisation, innovation, and cost optimisation, HUL demonstrated resilience amidst market challenges and rising input costs.
Q3 2025 ended 31 December 2024, saw HUL record a total income of Rs 16,050 crore, a 1.7 per cent increase from Rs 15,781 crore in the same quarter of the previous year. Its revenue from operations stood at Rs 15,559 crore, driven by solid performances in the home care and food categories. Profit before exceptional items and tax remained steady at Rs 3,474 crore even as net profit rose 2.1 per cent to Rs 2,989 crore as against Rs 2,925 crore in Q3 2024.
Operating expenses were well-managed at Rs 12,576 crore, indicating efficient cost control. Home care vertical was a stellar performer with revenue climbing Rs 5,739 crore, with segment profit at Rs 1,086 crore, underscoring its role as a key growth driver. The beauty and well being vertical also saw revenues swelling to Rs Rs 3,556 crore, although profits declined slightly to Rs 1,018 crore due to higher input costs. And the food segment was a steady performer awith revenue at Rs 3,745 crore and proft as Rs 755 crore. 
On a nine month basis, HUL’s total income reached Rs 48,159 crore, up 1.9 per cent from Rs 47,266 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year. Revenue from operations stood at Rs 46,759 crore, showcasing steady consumer demand. Profit before tax grew to Rs 11,053 crore, while net profit increased by 6.1 per cent to Rs 8,196 crore. The home care category recorded a nine month revenue of Rs 17,143 crore, supported by premiumisation and product innovation. The beauty & well being vertical generated Rs 10,258 crore, benefiting from a focus on personal care products while the foods tranche delivered consistent revenue of Rs 11,398 crore, reflecting effective competitive pricing strategies.
During the quarter, HUL split its beauty & personal care division into two new segments—beauty & wellbeing and personal care—to enhance strategic focus and operational efficiency. Prudent management of raw material costs and advertising expenditure helped mitigate the impact of rising input costs and currency fluctuations. A continued shift towards premium product offerings in home care and beauty & wellbeing bolstered overall performance.
Additionally, it got clearance from its board (based on the recommendation of the independent and audit committees) to dissect the ice-cream business from HUL and fuse it with its wholly owned subsidiary Kwality Wall’s (India) Ltd. Following this, Kwality Walls will issue shares to all the HUL shareholders in a 1:1 ratio.. The ice-cream business had a turnover of Rs 1,595 crore in the year ended 31 March, 2024, that is 2.7 per cent of HUL’s turnover, and it has some great brands in Cornetto, Magnum and Kwality Walls. The demerger creates a leading ice-cream company listed on the stock exchange which will be given wings to fly with a separate managed allowed to focus on its growth.
The demerger followed a decision by Hindustan Unilever’s parent company in the UK to carve out its ice-cream business into a separate company. The rationale behind this separation was that in ice-cream has a different operating model, including differentiated infrastructure for supply and distribution, capital allocation needs, distinct channel landscape and go- to-market strategy. 
HUL also announced that it has agreed to acquire 90.5 per cent of the Rs 500 crore turnover Uprising Science Pvt Ltd – which is behind the Minimalist hair care and skin care products range. The HUL board agreed to a price tag of Rs 2,670 crore at a pre-money enterprise valuation of Rs 2,955 crore (and a primary infusion of Rs 45 crore) for the acquisition of the shares from the sellers which include co-founders Mohit Kumar Yadav and . Rahul Yadav, Peak XV Partners Venture Investments VII, Surge Ventures II, and Twenty Nine Capital Partners (General Partner). The transaction is expected to be completed in Q1 of FY 2026. Following that, HUL will acquire the remaining 9.5 per cent of Uprising’s equity within two years.
Minimalist will join the portfolio of brands in HUL’s beauty & wellbeing division led by executive director Harman Dhillon. The current Minimalist team led by Mohit and Rahul will continue to operate the business in collaboration with HUL.
Brands
Britannia 5050 expands premium range with caramel dipped sandwich
New launch blends 50 per cent crunch and 50 per cent melt amid premium snack shift
MUMBAI: It’s not just crunch time anymore, it’s crunch meets caramel curtain call. After more than three decades of owning the sweet-salty sweet spot, Britannia’s 5050 is now leaning into indulgence, adding a caramel twist to its evolving playbook. The brand has introduced the Britannia 5050 Caramel Dipped Crunchy Layered Sandwich, extending its recently launched premium “dipped” range that began with its cheese variant earlier this year.
At the heart of the new offering is a familiar equation with a richer finish 50 per cent crunch and 50 per cent melt reimagined through a caramel-forward profile. The product combines layered, baked crispiness with a smooth caramel coating, tapping into a noticeable shift in how India snacks today.
That shift is less about choosing between textures and more about having both. As consumer preferences tilt towards premiumisation, “melt-in-the-mouth” experiences are increasingly complementing traditional crunchy formats. Add to that the rising popularity of caramel across both Western-style treats and Indian taste adaptations, and the timing begins to make sense.
The result is a deliberately engineered “crunch-to-melt” transition, a multi-sensory bite designed to turn routine snacking into something a little more indulgent. It is also a clear signal of how legacy brands are reworking familiar formats to stay relevant in a market that now expects novelty as much as nostalgia.
Britannia vice-president for marketing Siddharth Gupta pointed to this evolving behaviour, noting that the brand is pushing the 5050 idea beyond flavour into texture. The move, he said, reflects a broader attempt to align with changing consumer expectations while strengthening its position in the premium snacking segment.
The caramel and cheese dipped variants are currently available across select cities through retail outlets and quick commerce platforms, marking Britannia’s continued push into high-frequency, high-indulgence snacking occasions.
If the original 5050 was about balance, this new chapter is about contrast with a glossy caramel finish.
